Loading of sewer pipe, building tile, etc., for railway shipment



Dec.' 17, 1935. l, H SPQQR 2,024,189

LOADING OF SEWER PIPE, BUILDING TILE, ETC., FOR RAILWAY SHIPMENT Filed March 31.' 1931 2 .Sheets-Sheet 1 17 151915 fnl/67223K! IwzJ 5,0001:

Dec- 17, 1935A LH. sPooR 2,024,189

LOADING OFsEwER PIPE, BUILDING TILE, ETC., FOR RAILWAY SLiIPMENI" Filed March 31. 1951 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 mmm mlnnll f@ Ih lll lllti l @L Imnzllnngll Ill Ill Il.

Patented 17, 1935 LOADING F SEWER PIPE, ETC., FOB RAILWAY S BUILDING TILE,

HIPMEN'I Ivan H. Spoor, Chicago, lll., assignor to The Gerrard Company, Inc.,

tion4 of Delaware Chicago, Ill., a' corpora-z Application March 31, 1931, No. 526,679

10 Claims. (CL MI5-369) 'Ihe loading lof sewer pipe, building tile and similar objects for railway shipment is a matter which presents many dimculties. With bell-end sewer pipe, for instance, the loss due to breakage in transit has been enormous, because of the fragile character oi' the material, the tendency of the bells to take up the weight of the load, and the difficulty of preventing the sections of pipe from pounding against each otherwhen jarred.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved method of loading which will result in less breakage, is easy to practice, and canbe employed at small cost.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, two different embodiments of the same are presented herein by way of exemplication, but itv will of course be appreciated that the invention is susceptible of embodiment in other forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. .1 is a horizontal section through one end, of an ordinary box car, showing a load of sewer pipe madeup in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through `the same end of the car, taken on the line 2-2 o f Fig. 1, showing one of the units of the load in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through i the car, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing the load in end elevation and Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive are views which correspond respectively to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive but which show a modified load structure made up in accordance with the invention.

The load shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive is a load of ibell-end-sewer pipe. Only half of the load is shown, since the other half, which is lo-` cated in the other end of the car I0, is the same. 'I'he half load consists of three separate units II, I2 and I3. In each of the units, the individual sections I4 of pipe are stacked on their sides in pyramid form with the bottom row resting on twospaced parallel supporting members I5. The sections I4 are placed with their axes crosswise of the car and are arranged parallel with each .of the sections in the bottom row may be separated from each other, if desired, by cross cleats I8 which are secured to the members I5. The sections at the ends of the bottom row are held against 'outward movement by relatively heavy cross members I9 which are secured to the members I5. The second row contains one less section of pipe than the bottom row, and the sections in the second row are placed on the bottom row with the spigot ends in the second row resting on the bell-ends in the'bottom row and with the bellends in the second row resting on the spigot ends in the bottom row. The same spigot-to-bell ar- 10 rangement is followed in building up the remaining rows, each added row containing one less section of pipe than the underlying row to permit nesting of the sections and permit' of a pyramid formation. 2

After all of the sections of pipe in the unit have been stacked up in the manner described,- two or more metallic bands of either round wire or at strap are placed under tension about the unit in laterally spaced vertical planes disposed 20.

lengthwise of the rows and crosswise of the see-g tions. 'Ihe bands 20,are also preferably so positioned as to embrace the cross members I9 at the ends of the unit. After all of the units II, I2 and I3 have been made up, theyare ready for 25 shipment. 'I'he units are preferably separated from each other by the insertion therebetween of loose partitions 2|. When the car I0 receives a severe shock or jar during transit, each 'of the sled-like load units 30 will shift bodily along the floor of the car for a short distance, thereby preventing any substantial localization in the load of the stresses caused by the impact. By employing this method of loading, a. considerablesaving in breakage can be effected.

As an alternative arrangement, the bell-ends I6 of the sections of pipfinstead of being placed on the spigot ends II of the underlying sections, may be so arranged as to project laterally beyond 40 the spigot ends, thereby making va more compact but slightly wider stack. s

The modied load shown in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive diifers from that' shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive in that each of the several load units 22 45 is of rectangular, as distinguished from pyramid, form, resulting in a shorter unit. Because of the relatively short lengths of the rectangular` units,v two longitudinally spaced groups of the units may be placed withoutinterference with each other in each end of the car.

The sections of pipe in each of the units 22 are stacked on their sides crosswise of the car in superposed rows extending longitudinally of the car. The bottom row rests upon twovspaced parallel supporting members 23, and the end sections in all of the rows are held in place by two upright supporting frames 24, which frames are secured at their lower ends to the ends of the members23. After all of the sections have been placed in the stack, the latter is bound into a solid unit by two or more tensioned bands 25. During the stacking operation, and before the application of the bands, the frames 24 may be temporarily held upright by any suitable bracing means. The upper ends of the frames 24 .are preferably connected together at opposite sides of the unit by strips 26 which assist in preventing outward movement of such ends and also help to keep the sections in the uppermost row in line.

The sled-type load unit forming the subject matter of this invention is not onlyl of value because it reduces breakage in transit but also because it permits of improved loading and unloading. 'I'he units may be made up outside of the car in manageable sizes and then placed in the car by means of a crane, truck or other lifting and conveying device. Upon arrival at destination, the units may be removed from the car in the same way. By following this procedure, very little of the work involved in making up the load need be done in the car, and, as a result, the time required for actually loading the car is reduced to a minimum.

I claim:

1. In a load of short elongated objects, such as sewer pipe, building tile, and the like, for

transportation in a railway car, a load unit consisting of a large number of the objects arranged on their sides in a stack, which stack has a flat bottom which lis elongated in the direction of movement of the car, longitudinally extending supporting means on the floor of the car beneath the stack. and a tensioned band encircling vthe entire stack in a vertical longitudinally extending plane, said stack with its supporting means being designed to slide as a unit along the iloor of the car after the fashion of a loaded sled in the direction of movement of the car upon the latter being subjected to impact.

2. In a load of short elongated objects, such as sewer pipe. building tile, and the like, for transportation in a railway car, a load unit consisting of a large number of the objects arranged on their sides in a stack, which stack f has a flat bottom which iselongated in the direction of movement of the car, a pair of longitudinally extending supporting members on the floor of the car beneath the stack, and a tensioned band encircling the entire stack in a vertical longitudinally extending plane, said stack with its supporting members being designed to slide as a unit along the floor of the car after the fashion of a loaded sled in the direction of movement of the car upon the latter being subjected to impact.

3. In a load of short elongated objects, such as sewer pipe, building tile, and the like, ,for transportation in a railway car, a load unit consisting of a large number of the objects arl ranged on their sides in ya stack, which stack has a flat bottom which is elongated in the direction of movement of the car, a pair of longitudinally extending supporting members on the floor ofthe car beneath the stack, means for preventing longitudinal movement of the stack with respect to the supporting members without interfering with longitudinal movement of of a loaded sled in the direction of movement of the car upon the latter being subjected to impact.

4. In a load of short elongated objects, such as sewer pipe, building tile, and the like, for transportation vin a railway car, a. load unit consisting of a large number of the objects arnanged on-theii sides in a pyramid-shaped stack, which stack is elongated in the direction of movement off/the car, a pair of longitudinally 15 extending s porting members on the door of the car beneath the stack, and a. pair of tensioned bands encircling the entire stack in vertical longitudinally extending planes, said stack with its supporting members `being designed to 20 'slide as a unit along the floor of the car after the fashion of a loaded sled in the direction of -movement of the car upon the latter being subjected to impactfv 5. In a load of short elongated objects, such 25 as sewer pipe, building tile, and the like, for transportation in a railway car, a load unit consisting of a large number of the objects arranged on their sides in a stack, which stack is elongated in the direction of movement of the car, a pair 30 of longitudinally extending supporting members on the iloor of the'car beneath the stack, means carried by the supporting members for preventing the objects at the bottom of the stack from spreading apart longitudinally, and one or more 35 tensioned bands encircling the entire stack in vertical longitudinally extending planes, said stack with its supporting members being designed to slide as a unit along the oor of the car after the fashion of a loaded sled in the di- 4o rection of movement of the car upon the latter being subjected to impact.

6. In a load of short elongated objects, such as sewer pipe, building tile, and the like, for transportation in a railway car, a load unit con- 45 sisting of a large number of the objects arranged on their sides in a stack, which stack is elongated in the direction of movement of the car, a pair of longitudinally extending supporting members on the iioor of the car beneath the stack, a pair 50 of cross members attached to the supporting membersadjacent the ends of the latter for preventing the objects at the bottom of the stack from spreading apart, and a pair of tensioned bands encircling the entire stack and the cross 55 members in vertical longitudinally extending planes, said stack with its supporting members being designed to slide as a unit along the floor of the car after the fashion of a loaded sled in the direction of movement of the car upon the 60 latter being subjected to impact.

7. In a load of short elongated objects, such as sewer pipe, building tile, and the like, for transportation in a railway car, a load unit consisting of a large number of the objects arranged on 65 their sides in a stack, which stack is elongated in the direction of movement of the car, a pair of longitudinally extending supporting members on the oor of the car beneath the stack, a pair of cross members ,attached to the Asupporting 70 members adjacent the ends of the latter. for preventing the objects at the bottom of the stack from spreading apart, a number of cleats attached to the supporting members between the objects at the bottom of the stack for maintain- 'I5 their sides in a rectangular shaped stack, which ing such objects in properly spaced relation, and a pair of tensioned bands encircling the entire stack and the cross members in vertical longitudinally extending planes, said stack with its supporting members being designed to slide as a unit along the iioor of the car after the fashion of a loaded sled in the direction of movement of the car upon the latter being subjected to impact.

8. In a load of short elongated objects, such as sewer pipe, building tile, and the like, for transportation in a railway car, a load unit consisting of a large number of the objects arranged on their sides in a rectangular shaped stack, which stack is elongated in the direction of movement v of the car, a pair of longitudinally extending supl porting members on the floor of the car beneath the stack, a pair of upright supporting frames mounted on said supporting members at the ends of the stack, and one or more tensioned bands encircling the entire stack and the upright supporting frames in vertical longitudinally extending planes, said stack with its supporting members being designed to slide as a unit stack is elongated in the direction of movement of the car, a pair of longitudinally extending supporting members on the floor of the car beneath the stack, a pair of upright supporting frames attached to said supporting members at the ends of the stack, and 'a pair of tensioned bands encircling the entire stack and the upright supporting frames in vertical longitudinally extending planes, said stack with its supporting members being designed to slide as a unit along the floor of the car after the fashion of a loaded sled in the direction of movement of the car upon the latter being subjected to impact.

10. The method of loading short elongated objects, such as sewer pipe, building tile, and the like, for transportation in a railway car, which consists in placing an elongatedsled-like support on the oor of the car in the direction of move,

ment of the car, placing the objects on their 20 sides in parallel relation to each other in superimposed rows on said support to form a stack which has a at bottom which is elongated in the direction of movement of the car, and then constricting the entire stack in a vertical plane 25 IVAN H. sPooR. 

